I'm a woman, I can fight: Priyanka Gandhi asks UP women to chant

Lucknow: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at an election rally in UP asked the crowd to chant "I'm a woman, I can fight'. The slogan is the party's bid to revive its glory in Uttar Pradesh. Ms Gandhi and her allies are looking to win over the women voters who have been marginalised in the past.

Uttar Pradesh had been Congress' forte for almost a decade before losing to BJP. The next elections that go to polls early in 2022 will hint at whether the party can come back to power and challenge PM Modi and BJP, reported NDTV.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who entered politics in 2019, has promised women a change at a time the nation is alarmed at the rising violence against women. She said that she and the Congress party will fight for women. About a quarter of 40,000 people in attendance were women. This is much higher than the usual proportion. Congress has also pledged to field women in 40% of the state's 403 constituencies.

District Congress president Nirmala Paswan said that a lot of women are joining the party. "Change is coming and women are going to bring it." Praveen Rai of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies think-tank in New Delhi told NDTV that the proportion of women voters across India has steadily increased and some states now have more women casting votes than men.

Congress has promised to focus on women's welfare in the state. Female students are promised electric scooters and smartphones. All government buses are declared to provide free rides for women. Gender-based job reservations and free cooking-gas cylinders are also among the promises.

Party spokeswoman Supriya Shrinate said that a reorganisation in the party is also underway. She added that these changes are going to work in the longer run.

Ms Gandhi was speaking at a rally in Gorakhpur, which is UP CM Yogi Adityanath's stronghold. The Uttar Pradesh state government has been under fire for mishandling the violence against women, farmers' protests, and the pandemic.